__________________“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.”
~Frank Zappa

Originally posted by JMScoopy "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

a saying to live by, if you ask me.

"offensive words" can only hurt you as much as you let them.

I don't know that anyone said they were "hurt" by using God's name in vain. For people of faith, if they object to it, it's because they don't like the name of the God they worship being used irreverantly and distastefully. That's why I hate it so much.

Originally posted by JMScoopy "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

a saying to live by, if you ask me.

"offensive words" can only hurt you as much as you let them.

I agree.
You know, I really should share this simple axiom (that most of us learned in grade school) with the "easily offended" over there stewing in their mock indignation on the Senator Allen Exposes Himself As A Racist thread.
Naaaaah. Why bother?

Originally posted by maycocksean As regards the question that begins this thread, I admire that the original poster is willing to soldier on in her quest for faith despite the insensitivity and judgementalism of the Christian she spoke with.

I really don't think God's pride is so easily pricked and even the commandment was more for our benefit than because God has thin skin. So I don't worry about it too much, and I hope I would have the good sense not to lecture on this issue to someone who is expressing interest in faith.

Thank you. This is how I ended up thinking a few days after the "incident": that surely God can see what's in my heart?
I guess I'll have to find a new faith-talking buddie...!

I do not often post on Interference but regularly visit this thread, as I find it interesting. I am questioning my faith at the moment (as in "getting back into believing"), and the topics here help.

Today I was reproached by a colleague that I used the expression "Oh my God" and that it offended her, that it was blasphemy and that she would appreciate it if I could refrain from using it in front of her. I do really like this girl, and respect her views and faith, I told her so and told her I would make a conscious effort of not using this expression in front of her.

I don't know how to express how I feel, I guess I that I never (perhaps naively) thought I was blaspheming, I was not accusing God of bad things or calling him a bad name, it is an expression that was used in my familly all the time (I was raised a Catholic) of either astonishment or despair, really. I guess I never thought of it as an "bad word". Is this blasphemy? Am I therefore a sinner? I feel bad now, because it was never my aim to belittle God's name... Is she showing me true Christian values? What do you people think? Am I a bad person for using this expression?

The same thing was said to me by a customer service assistant in an Australia Post-Office when i used the expression "Oh my God!" as i just realised, after waiting 10 minutes in the que , i had left my bills on the kitchen bench at home that i was going to pay over the counter.

I promptly told the woman "that's nice, then i'm sure you will understand that i mind very much that you find the need to dictate to me what i can/can't say....now if you don't mind i would like to see your supervisor!"

Onegirl,just out of curiosity.........find out if she says words like "gosh or jeez/gee!"as i would politely point out that using the words gosh is a permutation of "God" just like gee is a short-form of "Jesus".

Originally posted by fly so high! Onegirl,just out of curiosity.........find out if she says words like "gosh or jeez/gee!"as i would politely point out that using the words gosh is a permutation of "God" just like gee is a short-form of "Jesus".

Originally posted by Irvine511
that's an excuse for ignorance -- gosh, i didn't intend to offend when i said "macaca" -- which is really the standard you're setting. it doesn't matter what i say, it only matters what it is i tell you i mean by what i said. because, of course you'd believe me when i retract and explain my words.

Irvione, I have a question for you.

People here have said that intent makes a difference when it comes to using God's name in vain, as if saying "I didn't mean to offend anyone by using God's name in vain" makes it okay.

Do you think they are right when they say that? I would hope not. I would hope that if you're going to say intent doesn't matter concerning the use of racial slurs, you would say it doesn't matter concerning the use of God's name in vain. That would be consistency.

For the record, I don't think it is right to use racial slurs, intended to hurt or otherwise. By the same token, if someone knows that someone else is offended by a certain non racial expression, tghat person should make every effort not to say it around the offended person. I know that Verte 76 and BVS say that they make the effort and I applaud them for that. You would probably make that effort, also.

As a matter of good personal conduct when in the company of people you have reason to think might be offended by "Oh my God"--I fully agree with you. But racial slurs, especially when used by someone from outside whatever racial group, are pretty much categorically derogatory, whether the listener takes offense or not. Plus they're deriding other people, not a nonhuman entity whom the listener might not even believe in, or might not understand as ever being susceptible to insult from phrases like "Oh my God." Allowing such phrases to become subject to widespread automatic vilification would be starting to slide into Danish cartoons territory...the idea that insulting an object of someone else's religious belief is in itself unacceptable.